Steelers' tale of two halves vs. Broncos is the bittersweet curse of Mike Tomlin

The Pittsburgh Steelers were about to cruise to victory against the Denver Broncos... or at least that's what we all hoped. But we know better than to expect Mike Tomlin's team to blow out even the most unspectacular opponents.

Early in their Week 2 contest against the Denver Broncos, the Steelers were making things look easy on offense. On Pittsburgh's second offensive series, quarterback Justin Fields marched his team down the field and capped off a 12-play, 78-yard drive with a beautiful touchdown pass to tight end Darnell Washington.

The Steelers gained 48 yards on the next series before punting, then walked down the field for 57 yards and a field goal on their fourth possession of the game. This gave Pittsburgh a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.

But everyone knowns how conservative Tomlin gets when the Steelers are up by two scores.

Steelers nearly shot themselves in the foot vs. Broncos

In the first half, Justin Fields completed 10 of 12 passes and averaged 8.4 yards per attempt. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith allowed his young quarterback to roll out and open things up down the field. This resulted in big, drive-sustaining plays for the offense. Unfortunately, it didn't last.

With the Steelers leading by two scores, Pittsburgh's game plan changed coming out of the huddle. Their offense looked significantly less creative in the second half, and it was clear their philosophy shifted from putting points on the board to maintaining a lead. This was accompanied by predictable run plays and conservative pass calls to wind time off the clock and avoid turnover-worthy plays.

By the end of the game, the Steelers had just 13 points to show for their efforts. The good news is that this was enough to fend off the Broncos on their home turf. Denver mounted just six points all game. While this philosophy can work against unspectacular teams in the regular season, it's not a winning formula when going against good teams in the playoffs.

So what's wrong with Mike Tomlin's philosophy?

If you ask him, nothing. A win is a win, no matter how ugly it looks. These low-scoring slugfests are what Tomlin lives for. At some point, however, you're offense needs to prove they can score points. Without a competent offense, this team will be one-and-done once more in the postseason.

The Steelers' game against the Broncos was a tale of two halves, and Mike Tomlin showed how his conservative game plan in the final two quarters of the game. We all should be thankful for Pittsburgh winning their second straight game to begin the 2024 season, but it's easy to see how Tomlin's conservative game plan will not be a formula for success when it matters most.